“People from Cavan to Clare are sick and tired of flooding along the Shannon,” according to Sinn Féin TD Martin Browne.
Speaking as the River Shannon Management Agency Bill is debated at second stage in the Dáil today (Tuesday, November 3), the Tipperary TD said that people are “sick and tired of the flooding”, and “sick of politicians coming out and getting photos and hand wringing, yet the cycle continues”.
“They’ve had enough. What were once winter floods are now summer floods,” deputy Browne continued.
This year alone there were floods in February, floods in July and as we speak, there are areas along the Shannon under water and more under threat.
“Data shows that the risk of flooding is increasing and has unfortunately become a regular occurrence along the River Shannon.
“These floods are devastating to homes, farming lands and businesses and communities along the Shannon are living in fear of the next flood hitting.”
The deputy said that while he appreciates that the government established a working group in 2016 to enhance co-operation with various agencies, he feels that the “fact that we had wide-scale flooding in February of this year is testament to the fact that the approach has been ineffective”.
“Ultimately, we need a statutory agency with the authorities, powers and accountability to tackle the flooding risk on the Shannon and ensure that we are not creating further problems in well-meaning attempts to address issues,” he added.
Rabbitte calls for ‘urgent support’ to ease flooding pressure along Shannon
Minister of State Anne Rabbitte has called for “urgent support” to prevent severe flooding along the River Shannon.
Her call comes following heavy rain in recent days, which have seen water levels along the River Shannon increase to some of the highest this year.
“It is extremely urgent that capacity is made in the Shannon. The latest forecasts for levels on the river show we’re due to hit some of the highest levels we’ve seen this year,” the Galway East TD said.
We have a small window now to act on this. We’ve been long promised flood relief plans and even when we had a local minister [in the relevant department], nothing was done.
She called for action before the area sees a “major disaster”, adding that the recent past shows that “this can unravel in a few days”.